News

Jan 2026

We are excited to welcome our new PhD student, Lauren Hare to our lab! She will be exploring the influence of environment on the behavior and welfare of shelter animals using a One Welfare lens.

May 2025

Lab members Lindsay Nakonechny was awarded Outstanding Graduate Researcher and Emma Harvey was awarded Dean's Scholar!

From left to right: Lindsay Nakonechny, Emma Harvey.

April 2025

The Texas Tech Alumni Association awarded Dr. Stellato with the 2025 New Faculty Award!

 

July 2024

The lab attended International Society of Applied Ethology conference in Curitiba, Brazil to present our research!

Pictured here from left to right: Dr. Stellato, Lindsay Nakonechny, Rituparna Sonowal, Alissa Cisneros.

July 2024

Dr. Stellato talks with "Dog Save the People" on the importance of advocating for your animals!  

April 2024

Dr. Stellato and Emily Webberson spoke about their newly published research in the HAI podcast. Listen below!

https://www.human-animal-interaction.org/podcast/supporting-animals-and-veterans-through-enrichment-an-exploratory-study-on-a-brief-canine-socializing-intervention/ 

Aug 2024

We are announce that Alissa Cisneros has successfully graduated from her MS program and will continue with us as PhD student!

Oct 2023

Dr. Stellato was a guest on Human-Animal Interaction APA Division Podcast. Listen below!

https://www.human-animal-interaction.org/podcast/anastasia-stellato/ 

June 2023

We went abroad to South Africa for Study Abroad Course: "Animal Behavior and Veterinary Medicine". 

Few highlights:

- conducted cooperative care training on African savannah elephants

- clicker trained hyenas

- provided enrichment to leopards and cheetahs

- conducted behavioral observations on leopards, hyenas, jaguar, lions, tigers, cheetahs

- performed approach test on many animals including elephants, cheetahs, servils 

Pictured here: Emily Webberson, Anastasia Stellato, Alissa Cisneros, Lindsay Nakonechny 

We are excited to welcome three new graduate students, Alissa Cisneros (MS), Lindsay Nakonechny (PhD), and Rituparna Sonowal (PhD) to our lab! 

Jan 2022

We are excited to welcome our new graduate student, Emily Webberson, to our lab! She will be completing her Masters research in Animal Science, with a special focus on animal assisted interventions.

 

Photo: Harry